Breech-loading breakdown gun.



No. 741,373. PATENTED 00T. 13,1903.

, G. D. POTTER.

B11113011 LOADING 311331111011111 GUN.

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-PATENTED OCT. 13,1903.

G, D. POTTER. BREBCH LOADING BREAKDOWN G UN.

LIoATI L Y 12 1902.

UNITED STATES Patented october 13,1903.

BREECH-LOADING BRAKDOWN GUN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 741,273, dated October 13, 1903.

' Application iild May 12, 1902. Serial No. 106,999. (Ncmodel.)

To a/ZZ whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. POTTER, a

i citizen of the United States, residing at Spokane, in the county of Spokane and State of Washington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Breech-Loading Guns, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

lThis invention is in the nature ,of an improvement upon the gun set forth in my Letters Patent of the United States numbered 542,494, dated July 9, 1895, and No. 625,601, dated May 23, 1899; and the objects of the invention are to cock the tumblers by the dropping of the barrels and by the release of the triggers to slightly retract the tumblers from the tiring-pins after the samehave delivered a blow upon the primers and eect a rebound of the tumblers and by the act ofdropping the barrels to selectively eject a fired shell from either or both barrels of the gun.

In carrying out the invention there is employed a detachable lock comprising, essentially, a tumbler, a sear, and a combined main and sear spring, all mounted upon a lockplate and secured and supported by a bridle. The cocking-lever is curved and journaled in a knuckle above the hinge-pin and has a. forwardly-projecting arm and hook, the lowerend of said lever bearing against a cookingrod and the forwardly-projecting arm and hook extending through a slot inthe fore-end iron. The cocking-rod at its rear end has a bearing in a recess in the tumbler and has a laterally-projecting pin to engage a, slot in the tumbler adjacent said recess to hold the cooking-rod at all times in engagement with said tumbler and impart its momentum to the tumbler. A coiled ejector-spring has one end turned back upon the coil on the under side, forming a lug for coperation with the cocking-lever, and its opposite end projects up- Wardly and tangentially and is provided with alaterally-projectingpin to engage theejector'- hammer, and this ejector-hammer is pivoted in a slot in the fore-end iron directly under the end of the extractor-stem and has a `slot a't its rear end to receive the said ejectorvention, I will proceed now to describe the best mode in which I have contemplated applying that principle and then will particularly point out and distinctly claim the part, improvement, or combination which Lclaim as my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the several figures of which likeparts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the mechanism of the right-hand barrel of a `doublebarrel breech-loading hlammerless ejector shotgun with the parts in position after ring and with'thetrigger under pull and before the barrels are dropped. Fig. 2 is a vcrtical section through the longitudinal center of the tumbler, scar, mainspring, and tiringpin, showing in full lines the parts in the position of Fig. l andin dotted lines the tumbler retracted as in the rebound position. Fig. 3 i's a top plan vien7 of the parts of Fig. 1 in the's'ame position. Fig. 4 is a top View of the cooking-rod detached. Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 1 with the barrels dropped,

tumbler cocked, extractor normally projected in full lines, and, together with the position of the ejector-hammerand spring, shown fully projected in dotted lines, the bridle being` removed and the cooking-rod broken olf to more clearly expose the tumbler, sear, and combined spring. Fig. 6 is aside elevation of the lock and lock-plate detached.- Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the bridle detached. Fig. 8 is a front end elevation, Fig. `9 a side elevation, and Fig. 10 a rear elevation, of the tumbler detached. Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the inner side ot the lock-plate detached with the adjacent end of the cookingrod in dotted lines. Fig. l2 is a perspective view of the ejector-spring detached.

It is to be observed that neither Fig. 1 nor Fig. 5 is a truc section, but each in reality is a side elevation of the several parts in position in the gun, the other `parts not shown or merely indicated being of any usual or approved constructiomand these parts maybe such as the corresponding parts in the guns of my patents before mentioned, and for the sake of brevity the following description will IOO be conti-nod to the novel features of this invention and their coacting parts.

The hinge-pin lis recessed to form 'a socket for the disk end of the cooking-lever 2, and

projecting arm 5, which coperates with thecocking-rod 6, arranged in a channel through the front extension of thev frame and extending rearwardly and provided with a laterally-projecting pin7, which engages the tumbler, as will presently appear.

A coiled ejector-spring S is mounted upon a pin 9 in the fore-end iron, and this spring has one end returned beneath it, as seen in Fig. 12, to constitute a lug 10, which is adapted to engage the notch of the cooking-lever 2, while the other end of said spring is turned up tangentially and is provided with a pin 1l, which enters a slot l2 in au ejectorham mer 13, pvoted upon a pin .14 in the fore-end v`iron. and having a at bearing-face 15 arranged in a slot in the fore-end iron and capable of being projected upwardly, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5, to engage the split extractor-stem 16, which latter may be of usual construction and arranged in a. channel extending longitudinally of the flat of the barrels, as usual. Said extractor-stem is provided with a notch 17, which is engaged in the lirst instance bythe extractor-post 418 in the dropping of the barrels. 19 is'a piston-like firing-pin, preferably. as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, but which may be of any usual or approved construction.

2O is the tumbler, pivoted at 2l to the lockplate 22and bridle hereinafter described-and its action upon the sear.

having in its forward face a recess23 to receiv the rear end ofthe cocking-rod and having an arcuate slot 24 at the rear of said recess'to receive the laterally-projecting pin 7 of the cooking-rod. The lower end of the tumbler is provided with the bent 25 and also in advance of it the half-bent 26, and the rear of the said tumbler is provided with a longitudinal recess 27, in the vupper end of which is a wear-pin or spring-bearing 28, Whiclmay be made hard and perfectly smoothbefore insertion. .'There is employed a combined main land sear spring 29, of two limbs united at their rear ends and secured to the lockplate by a pivot 30, the upper limb entering the recess 27 in -the rear of the tumbler and bearing'upon the pin 28 and the. lower and shorter limb bearing upon the sear 31, which is pivoted at 32 and has its shorter arm adapted to engage the bent 25 and half-bent 26 of the tumbler. Thelong'er arm of this sear in the rear of its pivot ie-l provided with a lump 33, resembling generally a knife-edge bearing, such as used in weighing-scales, and the lower limb of the combined main and sear spring rests upon this lump, so as to insure with upwardly-projectingopposite ears 34- atljacent its pivot-hole', and the lower limb of the combined main and sear spring passes between these ears, and the said ears form -lateral abutmentsto holdthe spring in en- The sear is made.

gagement with the sear. The rear end of the sear has the lateral projection 35 to coperate with the trigger 36, substantially as usual. The tumbler, spring, and the sear are held in place upon the lock-plate by means-of a bridle 37, (shown detached in Fig. 7 which is secured to the lock-plate, and the tumblerpivot 21 has a bearing in this bridle as well as in the lock-plate. opening 38 for the lreception and guidance of the cocking-rod. The front of this bridle has the laterally-projecting wall 39.

As shown in Fig. 11,- the lock-plate is provided with a groove 40, in which the laterally- The bridle also has an and which serves as a guidey and support for said pin and prevents it from bending or turning over under the resistance of the tumbler in cooking the same. The point of the piuis tapered, so as the more readily to enter the slot 24 in the tumbler -when the lock is put on. i Y

It will be observed lthat the lock-.plate has mounted upon it all of the members of the lock and that therefore in the detachment of the lock-plateau of the-said members are carried with it, and hence this construction is of great convenience in repairingor inspecting the mechanism and also in holding the parts in position when detached. The lock-plate 22 is made with a. dovetail scroll 4l at its forward end which engages and interlocks with a complemental part in the body of the gun, thus 'servingto hold the being let into the body.

The operation is as follows, supposing the parts to be in position immediately after tiring, as shown in Fig. 1: When the barrels are depressed, :as in Fig. 5, the bearing-face of the slot in the fore-end iron ac'ts upon the projecting arm 3 of the cocking-lever with a rotary and sliding motion,- swinging said lever backward, and the rear end of the latter .engagng the cooking-rod forces said rod backward,and consequently forces the tumbler back against the pressure of the mainspring until the bent 25 of said tumbler isengaged by the forward end of the scar, and thus the tumbler is. heldin the cocked position with the mainspring under tension. Concurrently with these movements the projecting arm 3,

by"reason of its eccentric pivot-bearing relaso put under tension againstthe resistance of .the ejector-hammer holding the opposite end'of said spring, said ejector-hammer bearing square against the under side of the extractor-stem until theisaid stem is moved by engagement with the extractor-post 1S, as

usuah, As'soon as the forward end of the extractonstem passes over the bearingface,

'mugre elevation of the lower limb of the mainspring is caused by its bearing uponthelump 33. The primary function of the. se ohold and release thetumbler, and Vits secondary function is to hold the lower limb ofthemainspring in the raised position until the tumbler has delivered its blow upon the tiringpin. When the trigger is released and through it the sear, the lower limb of the mainspring drops, and its forward end striking upon the n bottom of the recess 27 in the tumbler neutralizes the stress of the upper limb of the mainspring, and the rear extension of the tumbler having a greater leverage upon the tumbler than the bearing of the upper limb has upon the tumbler the latter falls back or rebounds to the dotted position, as shown in Fig. 2, and the sear then engaging with the half-.bent 26 willhold the tumbler securely in the rebound position. It will be Aobserved that the bearing-faces of the said I hook and lug,- respectively, are slightly bevsled and that in consequence of these beveled bearing-faces the ejector-spring is put under partial tension whenI said hook is caused to engage with said lug by the .upward swing of the cockingdever. By this means slack or lost motion is avoided when the rebound of the tumbler is eiecte'd, as before described, and the resistance of the ejector-spring acting upon the cocking-lever-materially assists in eiecting said rebound. In fact, a -complete rebound of the-tumbler might be effected in the manner last-above set forth, and I wish particularly to claim such construction. --Until the gunis tired and the cookinglever is revolved forward by the fall of the tumbler acting through the cocking-rod, as above described, the hook 4 on the forward projection 3 of said cooking-lever is not in engagementwith the lug of the ejector-spring, and therefore the gun may be opened and closed at will without causing lthe ejector mechanism to operate. The ejector-spring and hammer remain inert until acted upon by the hook of the cooking-lever after firing.' Itwill be apparent that the cocking-lever will be held out of action, with thelug of the ejectoi-spring, by gravitation when the gunis in position for working or shooting.

l. In a breech-loading gun, a lock-plate, a. tumbler pivoted thereon and havingarecess in one side forward of the pivot, anda transverse slot at the back of said recess, combined with a cocking-rod projecting into said recess and having a laterally-projecting pin entering said slot.

2. In a breech-loading gun, a cocking-rod arranged in the body thereof and having a rectilinear motion therein, and provided with a laterally-'projecting pin, combined with a transversely-slotted tumbler, and a 'removable lock-platenpon which the tumbler is pivoted, the said pin adapted to enter said slot when the lock-plate is put in position on the gun.

eccentrically journaled in the knuckle of the gun, and-having a forwardly-projecting hook, in combination with a coiled ejector-spring,

the said'projecting hook coperating with said spring when' the gun is ired.

j 4. In abreech-loadinggun, acoiled ejectorspring mounted in thetffore-end, combined with an ejectorhammer with which said spring isconnected at one end, and means to engage the-other end of said spring to put it under tension when the gun has been tired.

5. In abreech-loadinggun, a coiled ejectorspring having one end turned back .upon and beneath the coil .to form a lng and its opposite end projecting tangentially axid terminating in alaterally-extending piu, combined with a cooking-lever and an ejector-hammer with which said lug and pin respectively coact.

6.- Ina breech-loading gun, an ejector-ham mer pivoted longitudinally in the fore-end iron, combined with a tension-spring operatively connected with said hammer, and anextractorstem normallyrestraining said hammer and acted upon to release the said hammer and permit it to complete the movement gf tlle extractor only after the gun has been 7. In a breech-loading gun, an ejector-hammer pivoted longitudinally in the flore-end iron, combined with a tension-spring which actuates said hammer when under tension, and an extractor-stem by the movement of. which said hammer is automatically released only after the gun has .been fired.

8. In a breech-loading gun, an ejector-hammer pivoted near its longitudinal center, and having a slot at or near one end, combined 3. In a breech-loadin g gun, a cocking-lever ICO IIO

with a coiled ejector-spring, one end of which -engages said slot'..

9. In a breech-loading gun, 'a lock-plate, a tumbler pivoted thereon and having a recess. in one side forward of the pivot, 4and a transverse slot at the back -of said recess, combined with a cooking-rod projecting into said recess and having a laterally-projecting pin entering said slot, the lock-plate having a groove opposite the pin on the cooking-rod and receiving and guiding the end of said pin.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this'2d day of May, A. D. 1902. A

GEORGE D. POTTER.

Witnesses:

F.- D. ALLEN, ALBERT ALLEN. 

